4.8 Home is Behind
Preparing to face their final conflict, the party moves to help Albert and Sajaina convince the final civilizations to agree to evacuate to the old human ruins in the hope that, if all else failed, the population of Tirisea could be evacuated. Only the Dwarves and the Laputians remained. The Dwarves are easily enough convinced once they hear that all of the other civilizations have so far agreed, though they demand to be shown the location ahead of time so they can be assured that it actually exists. The Laputiians proved somewhat more daunting of a prospect, since their population had been splintered into factions following the disappearance of Viti. Perlapae managed to convince Sajaina that Zebbi might be the perfect way to get the Laputians back together again. She decided to test the effect Zebbi has on Zanza to make sure the revelation that he is the reincarnation of Viti doesn't, in general, cause Laupitians to go mad. She takes it well, seeming to gain a sense of peace from the discussion, and Sajaina grudgingly agrees to take Zebbi to Laputa to bathe him in the sacred waters of Viti. Initially, the Chosen of Astor are met with suspicion a hostility from the miitary leader of the traditional Lauti faction. When the chosen refuse to help take down incoming insurgents from an opposing faction that wishes to abandon the way of Viti she decided to have them thrown in jail to be dealt with later. Breaking out was practically effortless an the chosen made their way to the sacred waters in spite of her. On the way, Perlapae used her connection to Viti to show some of the guards her light from within Zebbi, causing them to let the chosen pass either out of hope or stupefaction. At the holy house they met the Holy Mother, Innara, who, after hearing their goal, bade the chosen to enter and bathe Zebbi in the sacred waters. As they began the rite of baptism due a Laputian child, another faction broke into the sacred halls. Their leader told Innara to stand and be judged for holding Laputa back in this time of crisis. She was rather dismissive, gesturing towards the sacred waters where Zebbi began to glow. Suddenly, the song of hope and glory that was Viti's influence flowed out over the nation of Laputa. For the moment, conflict ceased. With Innara's help, the Chosen were able to convince Laputa as a whole to evacuate, a nation once more, to the human ruins. That done, they boarded the Elfatina once more and set off towards the Cathedral of Bartos. Deciding they did not want to bring an eight year old girl with them, they had Thain create a new arm for Cara so they could bring te Archivist without dragging her along with them. As they few, they schemed, finally deciding on an attack plan after seeing the blind fervor the paladins of Bartos had been driven to. Wryn and the mages of the group worked together to create a colossal antimagic field t keep the powers of Bartos at bay while they invaded. Veller dropped them off and then went to cause a distraction from the air. Moving quickly, the party tries to slip through the hallways of the cathedral unnoticed. Predictably, they are unable to avoid all conflict. Their path is strewn with paladins who aim for the kill as a priority. They fight as best they can, the Archbishop guiding them through the hallways to the final door. They pass through rooms laden with traps and ambushes, finally stumbling into a room occupied by a pillar of light. The Archbishop uses the magic shown to him by the Night Maiden to propel the party into the sky in a blinding flash. Below them, they could just make out Tirisea dropping away as, ahead of them, some great, ship-like construction of gleaming metal loomed closer and closer. When the light cleared, they found themselves aboard, standing in a room furnished with metal walls and unidentifiable light fixtures and displays that may well have been alien magic or alien technology. They quickly activated the gifts given to them by the Night Maiden, each receiving a strange headband with meta studs and an item of power to better allow them to deal with the hazards aboard the ship. Examining the hip as they made their way through, they found themselves in an almost indescribable series of rooms that reminded them of a welcome center. Though in a language none of them had ever heard before, the voice that rang out from the walls nevertheless made sense to them. It spoke of investors and experiments- an all to chilling echo of that same sentence “we are an experiment,” upon the walls of the Tower of Apotheosis. As they wander through the place, walls and furniture eerily scarred with signs of some long-passed battle, the Archivist tried again to convince them that this course was wrong. “You do not belong here,” he would say. “Will you kill your creator? How can you win?” “You will not leave this place.” Ignoring him and his increasingly hostile attitude, they followed the path through the living quarters of the Overseers. They came upon a break in the wall and, passing though it, found themselves confronted by a shimmering globe of light. Inside of it were their enemies- the three Ascendant they had resolved themselves to kill if they could. The Mad half of Albert was there, alongside Dal and Finean, though Bagel was absent. The three tried to argue for their release, but Sal punched a glyph of destruction on the wall nearby, atomizing the three of them. Not meeting anyone's gaze, he walked into the next room. Somewhere in the distance, alarms begin to sound and the scrape of metal on metal follows the party as they move on. They find themselves in a room made of too many blinking lights and flashing screens to take in. The exit is covered in a grid of light that erases anything to touch it, though the exit it also barred by a thick door. The Archivist says he can open it but, the instant he is inserted into the control slot, activates the rooms defenses in an attempt to kill the party instead. Using the gifts of the Night Maiden, the party manages to rewind time, once again holding the Archivist in their hands. They threaten to kill him if they tries something like that again. He grudgingly tells them how to open the door and they prepare to venture forward, wondering, not if but when, they will have to kill him. Category:Quests